It was the transfer saga of the summer in Spain, picking up where Kylian Mbappe had left off. Barcelona were desperate to sign Nico Williams, but ultimately he decided to remain at Athletic Club, despite a litany of headlines on what did and did not happen in negotiations between the two.
It is a story that has followed the younger Williams brother around even into this season. The 22-year-old appeared on ‘La Revuelta’ with Inaki Williams, and was asked about his summer.
“I suffered a lot. Right now, on social media, people are still sending me messages [regarding Barcelona], of all sorts. Some say that I should come to Barcelona still, others that we don’t need you anymore.”
Inaki also chipped in, explaining the height of the aburd reporting on his brother’s decision.
“I read a story, that my parents had separated because Nico had not made a decision. I think it was my mother who wanted him to go, and my father that wanted him to stay. And that they separated because of this. That I put a lot of pressure on him” – “Your mother is a big Barcelona fan then, to separate over that,” said presenter David Broncano, provoking their laughter.
“I didn’t want to get involved in his decision, because I just wanted him to be happy, regardless of what decision he took,” continued Inaki Williams. “If my brother was clear that he wanted to be at Athletic, well then I would encourage him to stay there.”
Laughing, Nico also explained that Barcelona youngsters Alejandro Balde and Lamine Yamal, who he shares a relationship with from the national team, were doing their best to persuade him to move to the Catalan capital.
“On top of it all, the b******* Lamine and Balde didn’t make it easy. Buah! ‘Brother, come now, come now, come now,’ at all hours, every day, I said to them ‘I’ll decide’. I spoke about it with the family, that’s it.”
Meanwhile Barcelona’s most effective player this season has been Raphinha, who has spoken about feeling disrespected by fans trying to replace him with Nico Williams, something the Basque winger didn’t pay much mind to.
“I’m happy for him, and glad to see him doing well, I don’t have any hard feelings.”
There have been reports that if Williams does not renew his deal with Athletic and increase his €58m release clause, then Barcelona will leave the door open to a move for him next summer or down the line. The longer Raphinha continues performing though, the more infrequent those stories become.